how remote desktop type networking?
 

I've been thinking about setting up a small home network but i'm not sure where to begin. My dream would be to have the computer I currently use and be able to log into it from anywhere in my appartment as though i was sitting in front of it. Maybe I could set up a cheap laptop to run as a dumb terminal.

My current system is a mixed box. I run mostly XP professional on it, but sometimes I boot into Ubunto HD install or start Puppy linux from a live CD. I've thought of setting up my computer with COLinux so that I can run a linux distro and XP at the same time.

I know basically nothing about networking. Any suggestions?

thanks,
fisher

Hi

for my local network @ home, I use mainly ssh to access my server, but sometimes I also use Gnome (server side + gdm) which displays on my windows XP latpop throught xcygwin (on the laptop+ cdmcp broadcast)

yull

I was hoping to get a laptop and just use it as a periferal for my main system. All processing and files would be on my main system; laptop would just be a display, mouse, and keyboard. Is this do able? I figure this would be easier with Linux than XP since Linux is inherently multi-user.

I guess you'll have to install at least a minimal linux on your laptop such as:

server: install gnome (or kde) and gdm (and xdm)
laptop: minimal linux (even booted on cd) and xserver configured to use xdmcp to connect to the server

I didn't checked this out, but this is almost as I'm doing myself, considering xcygwin is like a mini linux

tell me if it works

yull

Its not at all hard to do what you want to do, at least from the Linux side of things. As long as you have a router in your LAN, you could use that cheap laptop to access a Linux box elsewhere. The Linux server probably already has sshd running (the SSH daemon) so the remote only needs an ssh client to have console access. For GUI access, you need to run either a VNC server (RealVNC or TightVNC are both good) or FreeNX, which is similar to VNC, but a bit faster. The laptop would then need either a VNC client or a FreeNX client.

To remotely access the windows box, you have to have VNC if you want to use the GUI. You can remotely access the windows box using SSH if you install cygwin and the sshd on the windows box.

If you boot that box into Ubuntu, then if you set up sshd to permit X forwarding, you can set up remote X-windows sessions using either a Windows box with cygwin on it or any linux box. This remote X session can include your entire desktop environment if you wish, or you can restrict yourself to only running those graphical apps that you need.

You can start a remote X session if your client supports it and the server has enabled Xforwarding with this command:

ssh -Y -f hostname xterm

I do this routinely; I presently am sitting in the family room typing this message in Mozilla on my (cygwin equipped) XP laptop, while I have a graphical SSH session open to my Linux workstation upstairs, and in that session I have kate up and running while I work on a script.

I have another ssh session presently open on this XP box to an FC4 server in switzerland that I am working on, and I have xemacs up and running on that box, and displaying on my box. When I am done with the script I am working on upstairs, I will (while sitting here at my XP laptop) establish an ssh session between my linux box upstairs and the server in switzerland, and download and install the script.